Please help me choose where to go for a week in the sun...

[frogs]

Okay, the brief is:

Summer half-term, ie. last week in May;
Week's holiday for me and dh (all three kids going to grandparents, hurray!);
Warm but not roasting;
Nice mix of culture and relaxation;
Must have pool or access to beach;
Would prefer not to have to drive/hire car;
Not sure whether to go for hotel or self-catering.

Budget: as low as is compatible with it being reasonably nice, ie. not huge package-toury hotel. Actually have no idea what a likely cost will be, as haven't yet decided what we want (dur). Can't run to anything too deluxe, though.

We are toying with Sorrento (Italy), Tunisia or Morocco. Have considered getting a package and then spending a few days travelling around, but that would only work somewhere cheaper like Tunisia.

Help me decide, please!

Envious bump. I cannot think straight as I am too envious, sorry....

north africa

what abotu sorrento i think yes like you say

I'll just add to your confusion and suggest Sicily - Giardini-Naxos, Taormina or Cefalu would fit the bill, in terms of beach access and probably pool. All these resorts have reasonably good bus or quick bus ride then train connections, or even Palermo itself, if you don't mind that the city is 5 miles or so from the beach (Mondello)

Sorrento would also do apart from lack of beach - IIRC Amalfi is a shingle beach, not sand, maybe Amalfi would suit you better. Sorrento is very good for trains and buses for travel along the coast to Amalfi, Positano and Ravello, and to Naples and Pompeii,and boat trips to Capri. Not sure how many Sorrento hotels have a pool though! I think if there are only two of you, you would get a better deal with a hotel than self catering.

Corsica

I can't help you frogs because my suggestion was going to be St Lucia. That's where I went for a week sans children etc. I went with my best friend. We have a fabulous time. We did nothing all week (well apart from lying in the sun all day and dancing all night!) It was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!

'Tis my birthday treat, MI, and my mum has v. sweetly insisted DH and I go away for a week. Too good an opportunity to waste, methinks.

As a matter of fact, Dh has taken all children to in-laws this week, and am I sitting down drinking champagne? Have I spent the day in Borders Starbucks with my feet up? Have I heck. Have changed all the beds, done three loads of laundry, sorted out two bags of outgrowns and sewn on a dozen nametapes. Oh the glamour.

So you see the necessity of planning ahead for my birthday holiday, otherwise my endless chores will expand to fit the space available.

I would definitely go to Sorrento or somewhere else along the coast there as it's one of my favourite places in the world and we went on honeymoon - it's a lovely place for a romantic trip

We stayed at Hotel Bristol in Sorrento, before having kids, nice pool with bar overlooking the Bay of Naples, up hill from town centre so away from the touristy bit but iirc it was still walkable or a short bus ride. It was built into the cliff side so had a bit of character. 4* but got a really good late deal on it so worth checking around. You could easily get excursions locally along the Amalfi Coast or boat to Capri or train/bus to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Avoid places like the Hotel Ascot which the main operators use.

Otherwise what about an Italian lake like Lake Garda from where Verona within an hour and Venice can be "done" in a longish day trip or Como,Maggiore or Lugano from where you can reach Milan.

St Lucia sounds v good, Mars, but a little too far, perhaps? Also dh has limited tolerance for beach, so we need a ruins/general kultcha option to help keep him happy. And I am too blonde and nordic to function well in tropical conditions.

North Africa we know about, as have been before, though would welcome specific recommendations for hotels/places to visit, as our experience is all at the backpackery, cockroachy hotels end of the market, which is not what's required here! But Italy is sounding good too -- any companies or hotels you could recommend? Where and what should we be looking for?

As you can tell, I am a sad amateur at the glamorous grown-up holidays game.

Then I think that you should go to Sorrento. DS1 is going there with a school trip at the end of May. I love Italy, but I've never been to Sorrento, so I'm currently very jealous of my 13yo.

I've never stayed anywhere amazingly swish/luxurious/5star but I thought these hotels were all quite good
1)Hotel Caravel, St. Agnello (1.5 miles from Sorrento centre, near nice bars, shops, bus stop and train station)
2)Hotel Villa Greta, Taormina (a bit uphill from centre, quite small, no pool, fab views from balcony)

\link{http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187782-d308082-r4976487-Antiche_Mura_Hotel-Sorrento_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html\The best hotel in Sorrento?}

Looks like some more UK operators now use the Bristol like \link{http://www.magicofitaly.co.uk/mt/sun/viewAccommodation.do?accommodationCode=022202&seasonCode=S2006&brochureCode=MG34&brochure_list=true\Magic of Italy } and First Choice. You could use Magic of Italy as a starting point for ideas and then google the hotels you like to see if there are any better deals with other tour operators !

And have a fabulous time.

we went with Magic of Italy and it was great. we stayed in Ravello, it was beautiful. oh I've come over all nostalgic!

You could go to southern spain and have a few days in Morocco, it's only 45 mins from Tarifa.

Thanks for all your input. I've now booked what sounds like a really lovely little boutiquey hotel on the island of Jerba, in Tunisia.

Go on, MI, \link{http://www.aspectsoftunisia.co.uk/holidays-to-tunisia/jerba-zarzis/dar-dhiafa.asp\have a look at where we are going for our childfree week in the sun}, you know you want to...

Am pathetically excited; we had kids too early, while we were still young and skint, so have never done a proper grown up childfree holiday.